1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicles that have containers for carrying particulate material, and, more particularly, to covers especially adapted for covering those vehicle containers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Vehicles, such as sand trucks and dump trucks, carry particulate material in a container supported by the vehicle. Often the containers carried by the vehicle are open to rain, snow, and wind, so the particulate material that is carried may become wet or blown away. To avoid these problems, throughout the years, a number of innovations have been developed relating to covers for vehicle containers that are otherwise open. In this respect, the following U.S. patents are representative of some of those innovations: U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,136, 4,974,898, 5,354,113, 5,765,901, and 6,206,449.
More specifically, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,659,136 and 4,974,898 disclose telescopic covers for truck beds. The respective covers include linearly translating telescopic cover members. As a result, each linearly translating cover member rides a pair of linear tracks with respect to an adjacent telescopic member. Unfortunately, it is relatively easy for particulate material, such as sand, to become trapped in the linear tracks and cause unwanted wear and damage to the tracks. In this respect, it would be desirable if telescopic covers for a vehicle bed were provided which do not employ linearly translating cover members along linear tracks.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,354,113, 5,765,901, and 6,206,449 disclose covers for vehicle beds which employ relatively soft, flexible cover members that are unrolled for use as a cover and rolled up when the cover is not needed. Such flexible covers are often easily torn. Moreover, when such flexible covers are torn, they often permit wind, rain, and snow to pass through the torn regions and disturb or contaminate the cover material. In this respect, it would be desirable if covers for a vehicle bed were provided which do not include flexible covers that are unrolled for use and rolled up when not in use.
Still other features would be desirable in a vehicle-mounted, covered sander apparatus. For example, there may be time when it is desired to access material in a container member in a vehicle bed from the side of the vehicle bed. At other times, it would be desirable to access material in the container member in the vehicle bed from the back of the vehicle bed. In this respect, it would be desirable to provide a cover for a container member in a vehicle bed which can be installed on the container member to allow access to the container member from the back of the vehicle bed or from the side of the vehicle bed, as desired.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use covers for vehicle beds or for containers in vehicle beds, the prior art described above does not teach or suggest a vehicle-mounted, covered sander apparatus which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) does not employ linearly translating cover members along linear tracks; (2) does not include flexible covers that are unrolled for use and rolled up when not in use; and (3) allows access to the container member from the back of the vehicle bed or from the side of the vehicle bed, as desired. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique vehicle-mounted, covered sander apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.